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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. game — wild animals
  4. band — a music group
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. tube — a container
  11. mate — to breed
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. present — the time now
  23. game — a match
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com